Valiant Edison
Valiant Maverick is a nano-augmented and computer-enhanced human cyborg (Classified as Homo Nervis), a starship engineer, and the inventor of the first human FTL technology. First Appearance Some years ago Valiant Maverick awakened in a heavily damaged escape pod with symptoms of acute retrograde amnesia. He had no memory of who he was or where he had come from. After activating the pod's distress beacon he was picked up by the rim clan Ciba Cay and took the name Valiant Eldson based on the fragmented identification data in his neural computer. Primary Career Valiant worked for Ciba Cay building starships until he discovered a fatal flaw in his neural computer which might have killed him in a matter of weeks. He entered cryostatsis to preserve his life while an AI core packaged with the statsis pod worked on a firmware update to save his life. When Tethys was engulfed by a chain reaction of large supernovas, Zeno-9141 rescued the statsis pod and AI core and transported them to Ragnarok Galaxy. After the AI core completed the firmware fix, Maverick was revived and downloaded the update to his neural computer. Afterward he went to work for Zeno's new company Spearhead Industries, once again constructing starships, including the widely-used Tranquility line of shuttles and a variety of experimental craft, few of which have seen actual use. Some years later Maverick took an interest in FTL travel and eventually pioneered the first successful human FTL drive which he adapted into the now-ubiquitous Jump Drive and Warp Gate technology. Even now he continues to work quietly on a third and final version of the drive, termed "The Hyperdrive" for lack of a better name. It is exponentially more powerful than current technologies and much closer to the original prototype which sent his test vessel billions of light years in mere moments, although it is expected to have severe drawbacks to ship performance if it is ever completed and deemed safe enough for normal use. Backstory Revealed Much to Valiant's surprise and joy, his sister Scarlett "Nightwalker" Maverick showed up in Ragnarok Galaxy onboard the S.S. Curiosity which was investigating Ragnarok's mysterious FTL beacon. In his words "After I saw my little sister's beautiful face, memories long sealed away began to resurface." Valiant and Scarlett were born during a war of cataclysmic proportions in their home galaxy. At the ages of 19 and 17, they were betrayed to the enemy and captured. They were taken to an experimental facility with a group of other captives. They were transformed into cyborg super soldiers augmented with nanites that increased their physical strength and made them harder to kill and neural computers that both controlled them and aided them in battle, providing them with enhanced reflexes and the ability to continue fighting and making self-preserving decisions while the primary intelligence is unconscious. Valiant's control matrices were defective. When the experimental facility was attacked by soldiers from his own home, he managed to break free of the controlling mainframe's command. He managed to destroy the mainframe, freeing Scarlett and the other cyborgs before being shot in the back of the head with a mass driver and knocked unconscious, which likely caused his amnesia. Scarlett saw him climb into an escape pod (controlled by his now-independent neural computer) which was seemingly obliterated immediately after launch by a dimension-distortion weapon. Apparently the tiny pod fit within a small eddie in the weapon's effect and survived being transported through time and space to Tethys Galaxy where Valiant awoke. Scarlett was transported in a similar way while making a futile attempt to escape the battle. It is unclear whether they are in the same universe, dimension, or phase-variance as they were before being teleported. Breakdown of Abilities Valiant's and Scarlett's Nano-Augmentation and Neural Computer provide them with superhuman strength, speed, durability, precision, and almost anything else imaginable. They are by no means invincible, but are suspected to be the strongest individual warriors in the galaxy at this time. Very few outside of Spearhead have any idea how powerful these two are, although rumors of Valiant's strength and durability are widespread. Strength, durability, speed: Networks of nanites span the Maverick siblings' entire bodies, reinforcing and enhancing every tissue and cell. The nanites not only add additional strength, but correct flaws that otherwise prevent the human body from reaching its full potential. They are not only difficult to wound, but can survive shocking amounts of damage and continue fighting effectively. Due to the regenerative abilities the Nano-Augmentation gives them, it is unlikely that they can suffer much permanent damage short of dismemberment. Despite being far less bulky and not as physically strong, Scarlett is faster than Valiant, making her no less effective. Reflexes, precision, pain tolerance: Valiant's and Scarlett's entire peripheral nervous systems and most of their spinal cords have been replaced by cybernetic structures linked to their neural computers. These send signals with a fiberoptic-like system, making them much faster than biological nerves. Combined with the Neural Computers's "smart reflexes" that respond to the controlling intelligence's current objective, this allows them to act with incredible precision and responsiveness. While they do feel pain, it is always bearable, and is merely an indication of damage. In addition, they can adjust their pain threshold at will. Perception: Partially-cybernetic eyes allow both Valiant and Scarlett to switch their vision to different spectrums. Their eyes also contain additional, non-visual sensors for analyzing mechanical systems, electronics, and biology. This is what led Valiant to believe the computer was designed for engineering before he regained his memory, and he continues to use it for this purpose. The computer was actually intended for combat-related functions such as analyzing enemy strength and finding vulnerabilities, and sabotaging systems or harnessing them for tactical purposes. Both Valiant and Scarlett have the same perceptual capabilities, but Valiant is far more skilled at using them to create or destroy machines. Communication: The siblings can communicate using "cyber telepathy" - direct communication between their neural computers ranging from speech to images to tactical data. Valiant has modified this system to allow him to send messages directly from his head to standard communication channels. These are frequently encrypted. Valiant and Scarlett are both capable of advanced cyber warfare, able to bypass most security systems in common devices. Hyper Mode: Rather like the biological fight-or-flight response, the siblings can further enhance their abilities for a limited time. In stage 1, a large burst of epinephrine raises heart rate and blood pressure to levels that would kill normal humans. In this state, their peak heart rate is nearly 350 beats per minute. In stage 2, a release of powerful stimulants slows their subjective time and speeds their thought processes by a factor of approximately 2.5, while heart rate increases to a maximum of 500 beats per minute. Stage 3 removes limitations that normally prevent the body from damaging itself, but enables still higher strength and speed. This exhausts the body very quickly and is somewhat dangerous to use. The siblings have nicknamed Stage 4 "Death Surge." It slows subjective time by an additional factor of 5 and gives over direct motor control to the neural computer which pushes the body to the utmost limits. Pain is completely shut off as it is no longer relevant. As the name suggests, Death Surge can't be used for more than a few seconds without dying, and even brief use is incredibly dangerous and damaging. Despite this, it is possible to maintain this state far past the lethal limit, although death is certain afterward due to widespread cellular destruction. Aggression: Currently unknown to both siblings, the neural computers enhance aggression and anger, and reduce inhibitions for violence. This was intended to make them more motivated in battle, but is no longer useful. Despite his high intelligence, Valiant is known for being over-aggressive and is not always wise about picking fights. Scarlett's aggression is somewhat less pronounced and deadly, but she is still not to be crossed. Valiant's armor: Valiant typically wears a powered armor suit with integrated weapons, thrusters, and life support. It adds to his already-immense physical strength and increases his resistance to damage, although it has nothing to do with his resilience when he is actually harmed. Parts or all of the suit may be stored in a wrist bracer via matter transfer technology. Valiant frequently stows his helmet in this fashion when not in battle or in space. The combined mass of Valiant's body and armor is around 500 kilograms.